Everyone has a favorite dish on Thanksgiving, and as a child, mine was always sweet potatoes.
But help was on the way.
A very darling girl joined our family this past summer and brought her enthusiasm for sweet potatoes with her.
Sally Vargas
A wife holds stronger sway over her husband than a mother over her married son.
So sweet potatoes are back on the menu, whether my son is gung-ho or not!
When I pondered how to streamline an already established dish, I made only a few small tweaks.
Sally Vargas
Sweet Potatoes Vs. Yams
A sweet potato is not a yam.
It is actually not very sweet.
Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, have orange or yellow flesh, with smooth and easy-to-peel skin.
Sally Vargas
These are what you want for this sweet potato casserole.
How To Cook Sweet Potatoes for Casserole
Roastdon’t boilthe sweet potatoes.
If you roast the sweet potatoes instead of boiling them, you say goodbye to tedious peeling!
Sally Vargas
Line the baking sheet with parchment to ensure that cleanup will be at a minimum.
The Best Way To Mash Your Sweet Potatoes
If you have a stand mixer, use it.
The paddle attachment is your friend here.
Sally Vargas
Scrape them into a buttered baking dish and youre ready to roll.
you could also mash them the old-fashioned way with a potato masher.
The solution is to use large marshmallows, snipped in half with a pair of scissors.
Sally Vargas
The cut side melts easily, helping to cover the surface of the casserole.
All that needs to be done is to reheat the potatoes.
it’s possible for you to also freeze the casserole ahead of timejust dont add the marshmallows.
Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and then foil.
Take them out of the freezer at least the day before to give it time to thaw.
Add the marshmallows and bake as directed.
More Classic Thanksgiving Side Dishes!
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until hot all the way through.
Top with marshmallows and bake for a few more minutes until the marshmallows have melted.
Scrub clean and dry the sweet potatoes.
Slice them in half lengthwise.
Place the potato halves, cut side down, on the baking sheet.
Prick each in several places with a fork and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until soft.
Remove and let rest until potatoes are cool enough to handle.
Butter or coat with cooking spray a 3-quart or 9-x13-inch baking dish.
As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle, pull off the skins and discard.
Add 1/4 cup of the butter, orange zest, orange juice, salt and pepper.
Mix on low speed in the stand mixer until the potatoes are creamy, but not necessarily perfectly smooth.
Taste and add more salt and pepper, if you like.
Transfer the potatoes to the buttered baking dish.
Dot the top of the casserole with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.
Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until hot.
Place the marshmallows close together in a random pattern over the potatoes.
Cool the casserole briefly and serve while hot.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
